When the Beating of Your Heart
by Katie217
Summary: Can you imagine what it would be like if Eponine and Enjolras survive? Follow their journey as they help each other grieve, move on and eventually find true, requited love.
1. Chapter 1

The loud gunfire was what ultimately woke her up. She remembered hearing two men's voices, and they both sounded very familiar to her. She could only make out a few words, but in her un conscience state she couldnt give them meaning. As she opened her eyes she quickly took in her surroundings and slowly began to realize that she was in the street behind La Café Musain. The boys had all believed that she had died in Marius' arms under a little fall of rain. She had actually believed the same thing but now as she sat up she knew they were all wrong for she was very much alive. Everyone had believed though that she was the first of the barricades to fall and Enjolras himself even announced that they fought for her under that title. The bullet that entered her body went into her shoulder, not her heart. Between being shot, her undernourished frame, the stress of the battle and the worry she had for her friends and toward her family her body shut down. It had handled the maximum amount if stress. Now she was gaining her strength back even though there was stil a wound in her shoulder. The bullet had been removed already but Eponine couldn't fathom why if everyone thought she was dead. Her focus was now set on one thing; finding out what was happening on the barricades.

She stood up and made her way to the back door of the café, the one that Combeferre had probably carried her through. She opened the door as quietly as she could afraid that she might get caught. Some of the boys were still running around, trying to gather more ammunition. Guns were still being fired so Eponine quickly and quietly made her way to the dark corner in the back of the Café where she would be able to see everything going on. All too soon the firing lessened and a handful of boys ran into the café and began blockading the door. Among these boys were Enjolras, Combeferre, Courfeyrac, Joly, and even Cosette's father. Upon seeing him Eponine realized that his voice was one of the two voices she heard in the back street. As she thought back to it she realized the other had been Javert's. She watched as Cosette's father called for Marius and quickly exited the front doors. The boys moved fast to cut down the stairs that lead to the upper level and climb and pull each other up. The Federal Troops must have still been around if they were preventing people from climbing up to them. The doors burst open as said Federal Troops burst through. There were many of them and they were all armed. The boys did everything they could to stop them, including throwing wine bottles at them, but they could not be stopped. The next thing Eponine heard broke her heart. There was deep breathing and then a small whimper that sounded like it came from Courfeyrac. Gunshots rang out and a loud thump followed. Eponine knew what it must have meant. She let a tear escape her eye as she thought of her friends who had just been shot. Somehow the troops made it up the stairs and let more shots ring out.

It became eerily quiet in the café after the troops left. Once she was positive that no one would catch her she went to the back staircase she knew the troops had been unaware of. As soon as she made it up the stairs she was not shocked to see the bodies of her friends resting on the ground. What shocked her the most was that Grantaire was resting near the window and that two feet were caught in the ropes. She knew that it had to be Enjolras since she couldn't see him among his friends and she had seen him go up to the top level. As she leaned out the window to look at him she caught his eyes twitch. She quickly recoiled then decided that she was just being silly. "You're just being paranoid" she thought to herself. When she looked down again she saw his blue eyes wide open and focused on her.

"Enjolras?"

"I'm in heaven. I must be, I can't be alive." He mumbled.

"Enjolras listen to me, you are alive" he shook his head at this and she knew why. "I am alive too Enjolras. We're both alive. Look at me, you survived but I need to help you off this windowsill."

"How are you going to do that?" He asked.

"Whichever way is easiest." She responded

"Then I think you're going to need to let me fall." He said

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, my feet are too tangled in the ropes."

"Okay" she said. She went to work on getting his feet untangled. When she just about done he called to her and told her that he had used the flag he held to make it easier to get down to the ground. She finished with the ropes then watched as he lowered himself to the ground. She ran down the back staircase and out into the street to join him. Once she got there she stood in front of him and examined him. His blond and curly hair was a complete mess and he had blood dripping down the side if his face. His face was also covered in dirt and sweat. His white shirt was unbuttoned on the top and his cravat hung loosely around his neck revealing the bare skin of his upper chest that was also covered in sweat. His beautiful red jacket also had a bullet hole in the shoulder.

"Enjolras how many times were you shot?" She asked.

"A few times in each shoulder and twice in the torso." He said.

"I saw the troops in the café. There were so many of them, it's a miracle you're alive!"

"I wouldn't call it a miracle mademoiselle."

Eponine and Enjolras had just started to become very good friends when the barricades were formed. The first time they had met was at one of the meetings and ever since that first time she attended they had spoke to one another. At first Eponine had stayed at Marius' side but as the night went on she went around and talked to many of the boys. The only one she hadn't talked to had been Enjolras but he eventually made his way over to her. Eponine immediately thought he was beautiful but she still loved Marius even though he loved another. Enjolras had asked her about how she knew Marius and what had caused her to smile and cheer the way she did. She told him he was a very powerful speaker and that she experienced many of the things he had mentioned. She also offered him a very different perspective on the life of the poor and became one of his trusted advisors of sorts. Now she stood there with her friend who had multiple bullet wounds in him.

The way he said that he didn't think his survival was a miracle caused Eponine to examine him more closely. His blue eyes that always shone with an excitement and fierceness looked flat and dead. His "marble face", which after spending time with him did in fact reveal actual human emotion, resembled that statue that his friends always teased him about.

"Monsieur you are my only true friend alive. I have told you about my life before and you know the people within it. You are one of the only ones who was kind and respectful to me, aside from Gavroche and the rest of the boys. And now they are all gone. You are the only one left." She spoke in a sad tone. Now Enjolras was the one studying her. She bravely met his gaze and held it showing him how strong she could be for him. "So please let me help you" she added on a whisper.

"You aren't wounded?"

"I am but it is nothing compared to your wounds." They made eye contact again and acknowledged the fact that they were all they had left from their little lives.

"Then lets head out." He said

They made their was back through the café and to the back street. Through there they snuck through all the little side streets and abandoned houses until they found one that was unlikely to have any visitors for a long time. Once inside, Eponine lead Enjolras to the couch and helped him sit down. As soon as he was on the couch Enjolras lost consciousness. Eponine, who had been learning from both Joly and Combeferre on how to medically take care of someone before the battle began, set about straight away to tend to Enjolras and his wounds.


	2. Chapter 2

Enjolras stirred and Eponine, who had seated herself in a chair across from him, rushed to his side. While he had been unconscious she had returned to the cafe and was lucky enough to find Combeferre's medical equipment. He had brought it to the cafe knowing there would be a need for it. She noticed that all the bodies of her friends and even her brother had been moved. A silent tear fell as she thought of them. She returned to Enjolras with the medical supplies and some bread and wine left over in the cafe. She took care of Enjolras' wounds, removing the bullets from his shoulders and arms. His eyes were now fully open and he tried to sit up. She put her hand on his chest and gently pushed him back.

"You don't want to open your wounds" she said. He looked up at her, his blue eyes wide and then noticed, for the first time, the bandages that were wrapped tightly around him.

"Eponine, were these your doing?" He gestured to the bandages visible due to his unbuttoned shirt. He blushed a little at this, especially when he realized that she would have had to remove his jacket and vest and would have had to unbutton his shirt. Eponine noticed his blush, but decided to ignore it for his benefit.

"Yes, but don't you fret monsieur, Joly and Combeferre taught me well. They were talking the other day about what to do when men get wounded and I asked them to teach me just in case. They showed me how to safely remove bullets and how to bandage wounds, which is what I did for you. /the bullets in your shoulders and arms are gone and your wounds are bandaged. I'm afraid, however that I couldn't remove the ones near your stomach. We'll need to find you a doctor."

"I'm not sure a doctor is the best idea" he said in a very stubborn voice.

""Do you want to die?" she asked in an equally stubborn voice.

"I should have" he mumbled.

"What was that?" she asked, knowing full well what he was implying.

"I should have died. I should have perished on that barricade with the rest if my friends. I was their leader afteral."

"Enjolras, you can't think that way" she said as she knelt beside his shoulder. "You were saved for a reason, perhaps to further your cause, but you can't blame yourself for their deaths."

"How can you say that? They were following me!" he snapped.

"I know you're hurting right now, I am too. They were my friends too and Gavroche...but they knew what they were getting themselves into. They knew the risks and they were willing to take them. You can't blame yourself for the actions of those who willingly fought beside you." she said in a soft and soothing tone. He looked at her helplessly, the way a small child would and for the single moment of vulnerability that was visible on his face made him look like a little boy, but it quickly faded. He opened his mouth, but he found that, for the first time mind you, he was speechless.

"Now, about that doctor."

"Go if you must" he complied.

"What should I tell them just in case they don't...support your cause?"

"If it comes to that, just say that I was wounded at a barricade. You don't need to mention that I was the leader." She nodded and he watched as she crossed the room. She stood in front of the door as she spoke. "I don't know when I'll be back but I will try to be back as soon as possible. There is bread and wine on the table in front of you. You should be able to reach it without hurting yourself further." She opened the door and took her leave.

With nothing to do, which was a rarity for him, Enjolras' fast acting mind tried to find something for him to occupy his time. Unfortunately for the second time, he found that he could think of nothing. With a glance at the bread and wine left on the table, he realized just how famished he had felt. He reached for the bread first and broke off pieces as he ate. He saved enough to last him the next few meals, not sure how fast when Eponine would return. He washed it down with a swig of wine. Again he found himself with nothing to do so he worked hard to make his mind slow down.

Eventually he was able to accomplish his goal. He closed his eyes hoping to sleep would find him, but instead Eponine popped into his mind. He had noticed that she looked cleaner than usual. The grime had been washed off her face and arms, and she once again wore a tattered dress, though it was in better shape than her other one. He pictured her fierce brown eyes and heard her soft voice from when she was trying to sooth him. He noticed for the first time just how beautiful she was. What made her more beautiful was that she wasn't afraid to speak her mind which she proved when she joined in their discussions at the cafe. She was the bravest woman he knew, going as far as disguising herself as a boy so she could fight alongside them and to take a bullet for the man she loved. Even he could see just how much she loved Marius. He thought of how much she must have broken her heart whenever she delivered a message for the happy couple, and he could see how selfless she was. She was willing to let herself get hurt so she could see the one she loved happy and safe. Most ladies he knew of would never do anything that Eponine would do, not that he really knew that many ladies. She was poverty stricken but that couldn't stop her. She was exactly the type of person he fought for. A poverty stricken person, who had the potential to be so much more with her quick wit, street smarts and compassion for those around her.

Eponine made her way through the streets of Paris. She knew her way around, better than most of the people residing there. When she came upon a highly trusted infirmary, she made her way inside. She had made it a point to look more presentable. She hoped it would work, so she could help Enjolras. What she had told him earlier had been true, he was her closest friend and the only one left, at least that they knew of. She thought back to the wounds that marred his marble body and to when she had removed his clothes from his top half. A thrill went through her, remembering the warm, soft but toned skin and muscle that had been his chest. She was terrified that her efforts would be in vain, that he would be taken from this world too.

He was one of the first people, along with the rest of the boys, to show her true kindness and acceptance. She could still picture Grantaire sitting at the bar, drinking the day away. She could hear Coufeyrac's laugh ring in her ears and see Combeferre's warm smile. She heard a cough and could see Joly's reaction. "If I feel this much remorse over the boys, I can only imagine how Enjolras is feeling" she thought to herself. The clearing of a throat somewhere near her startled her out of her painful thoughts.

"Can I help you young lady?" she turned and saw a man dressed in priestly robes.

"Bonjour monsieur, I am in need of a doctor to come with me to visit a wounded man." she said.

"How wounded is this man, may I ask?"

"I removed about five bullets from his shoulders and arms but three still remain in his torso. They are in places that I feel are too dangerous for someone like me to remove."

"Very well, I will call on the doctor" he said and walked further in the infirmary. After a couple minutes he returned with another man. He was a man Eponine thought she would never see again.


End file.
